Analysis on the Middle East and Beyond

Tag Archives: Palestinians

Jordan, a Kingdom that, for the most part, kept itself from the ongoing chaos raging in the Middle East, is a country perceived as a vital component to regional stability. In a bid to persevere amid significant challenges, the Jordanian King Abdullah was the first Middle Eastern leader to meet with President Donald Trump, requesting from the new American leader to receive the proper backing to fight against the threats of terror.

I enclose a non-original post this time which deals with a special project that I am proud to be one of its founders. The project, Tiyol-Richle, brings Israelis and Palestinians together to study history via trips in Israel and the West Bank. The enclose article from Harretz describes one part of the recent activity that included a visit to Yad Vashem. It is written by my friend, Egyptian Journalist Khaled Diab. You can find the original here and more details about the project in this facebook group.

Learning about the Holocaust – in Arabic

In a joint trip to Yad Vashem by Palestinians and Israelis, more than a few lessons are taken in.By Khaled Diab

“Please excuse my broken Arabic,” our guide, Yehuda Yarin, tells the mixed group of Palestinians and Israelis who have come to Yad Vashem to learn more about the Holocaust. It’s a three-day joint excursion – a Tiyul-Rihla, the words for “trip” in Hebrew and Arabic – to Acre, Haifa and Jerusalem.
Yarin, whose day job is to guide groups of Jews and Israelis in Poland, including to Auschwitz, has the distinction of being Yad Vashem’s only Arabic-language guide. “I first studied Arabic many years ago, at high school. But, you know, at high school the level isn’t very good,” he tells me. Later he started learning colloquial Arabic.
When the new Yad Vashem – the world’s largest Holocaust museum and Israel’s second most popular tourist site – opened in 2005, the odd Arabic-speaking group would come to visit. Yarin would show thm around.
Since then, Yarin has guided Palestinians, both from the West Bank and Israel, as well as visitors from countries further afield such as Egypt. “Some of them know nothing,” he notes. “Some of them have never heard about the Holocaust. Some of them know the history. It depends.” Continue reading →